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The differences between environmental planners and urban planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an environmental planner, becoming an urban planner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an environmental planner has an average salary of $71,174, which is higher than the $65,316 average annual salary of an urban planner.
The top three skills for an environmental planner include federal regulations, water quality and wetland delineations. The most important skills for an urban planner are GIS, infrastructure, and visualization.
| Environmental Planner | Urban Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $71,174 | $65,316 |
| Hourly rate | $34.22 | $31.40 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 30,227 | 13,883 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Environmental planners are in charge of performing research and analysis to reduce the environmental impact of a company's business procedures and operations. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to attain environmentally friendly operations, optimizing processes for sustainability, liaising with clients to gain perspective, and coordinating with different departments to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's environmental policies and regulations. Furthermore, as an environmental planner, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, all while addressing and resolving any issues or concerns with the subject.
An urban planner is responsible for evaluating land use and condition and providing comprehensive plans and programs that would be beneficial for the entire community. Urban planners' tasks also cover conducting field investigations and collect environmental studies, performing market research and creating proposals for approval of the officials, reviewing recommendations and addressing issues which concern the land and resources, and strategizing comprehensive area plans. An urban planner must consider the community's best interest that would promote growth and development.
Environmental planners and urban planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Planner | Urban Planner | |
| Average salary | $71,174 | $65,316 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $95,000 | Between $47,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | West Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Santa Clara Valley Water District | Mapbox |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Construction |
There are a few differences between an environmental planner and an urban planner in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Planner | Urban Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Urban Planning |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between environmental planners' and urban planners' demographics:
| Environmental Planner | Urban Planner | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 13.1% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |